Beware of Scams!

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The following is information to help you discern potential scammers....Beware of Scams....Beware any deal involving Western Union, Moneygram, wire transfer, cashier check, money order, shipping, escrow, or any promise of transaction protection/certification/guarantee. It is a fact, as in any industry, there are people who offer scams...read on.

You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:

NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.
FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
VENDINGCONNECTION.COM IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"
NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)
AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.

Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?

FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
FTC online complaint form (http://www.ftc.gov)
Canadian PhoneBusters hotline: 888-495-8501
Internet Fraud Complaint Center (http://www.ic3.gov)
Software Piracy (http://www.siia.net/piracy/report.asp)
Non-emergency number for your local police department.
BBB - Beter Business Bureo www.bbb.org

Spam/Fraud: To report any email spam or fraud go to: www.bbb.org or www.ftc.gov and you can file a complaint. If you have a specific complaint about unsolicited commercial e-mail (spam), You can forward spam directly to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov or go to www.ftc.gov website to file a complaint.

Consumers who wish to forward unwanted or deceptive spam to the Federal Trade Commission should use the spam@uce.gov address. Whenever you complain about spam, it's important to include the full email header. Consumers who think they have been taken advantage of by a spam scam can file a complaint with the FTC online at www.ftc.gov. Complaints will help the FTC find and stop people who are using spam to defraud consumers. To learn more about how to avoid spam scams and reduce the clutter in your in-box, check out www.ftc.gov/spam.

Recognizing scams

Most scams involve one or more of the following:

inquiry from someone far away, often in another country
Western Union, Money Gram, cashier's check, money order, shipping, escrow service, or a "guarantee"
inability or refusal to meet face-to-face before consumating transaction

Examples of Scams

1. Distant person offers a genuine-looking (but fake) cashier's check

you receive an email offering to buy your item(s) sight unseen.
cashier's check is offered for your sale item, as a deposit for payment, or for just about anything else of value.
value of cashier's check often far exceeds your item - scammer offers to "trust" you, and asks you to wire the balance via money transfer service.
banks will often cash these fake checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK FAILS TO CLEAR, including criminal prosecution in some cases!
scam often involves a 3rd party (shipping agent, business associate owing buyer money, etc).

2. Someone requests wire service payment via Western Union or MoneyGram:

Scam "bait" items include apartments, laptops, plasma TVs, cell phones, tickets - but could be almost anything.
Often claim that an MTCN or confirmation code is needed before he can withdraw your money - this is FALSE, once you've wired money, it is GONE.
Common countries currently include: Nigeria, Romania, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Netherlands - but could be anywhere
Deal often seems too good to be true, price is too low, rate is below market, etc.

3. Distant person offers to send you a money order and then have you wire money:

this is ALWAYS a scam, in our experience - the cashier's check is FAKE.
sometimes accompanies an offer of merchandise, sometimes not.
scammer often asks for your name, address, etc for printing on the fake check.
deal often seems too good to be true.

4. Distant seller suggests use of an online escrow service:

most online escrow sites are FRAUDULENT, operated by scammers
for more info, do a google search on "fake escrow" or "escrow fraud"

5. Distant seller asks for a partial payment upfront, after which he will ship goods:

they say they trust you with the partial payment.
they may say they have already shipped the goods.
deal often sounds too good to be true.

6. Foreign company offers you a job receiving payments from customers, then wiring funds:

foreign company may claim it is unable to receive payments from its customers directly.
you are typically offered a percentage of payments received.

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